Tap Tap Tapping is driving me crazy

Holty74
Holty74 Posts: 50
edited July 2008 in Workshop
for my sins i usually ride with my ipod on. having broken it the otherday i have been riding without and have noticed a couple of odd things.

if i sit on the bike pedaling or freewheeling the is a tap tap (pause) tap tap noise coming from somwhere on the bike. what makes it weird is that if i lift up the back of the bike off the ground and turn the crank as if im pedaling then the noise goes :shock:

soon as i jump back on the bike it starts again.

i think the bearings in my right pedal has gone as that is making a sound when i pedal like its grinding but this tap tap noise is overlayed with it.

Anyone got any ideas?

I ride a Specialised Tarmac Expert 2008, but i use Dura-Ace chainset with Ultegra SL shifters and brakes and a set of 50mm 700C Carbon Aero Wheels.

i'm stumped as i thought it was the wheel, but now im more inclined towards the BB or maybe the chainset??

Comments

  • topdude
    topdude Posts: 1,557
    As it happens with your weight on the bike and not when just turning the cranks i would suspect the rear wheel bearings ? Try another wheel if poss or strip & grease the bearings.
    He is not the messiah, he is a very naughty boy !!
  • Roadbike
    Roadbike Posts: 23
    Long shot but might be worth checking - When you mount your tire/tube, do you put the threaded nut on the presta valve or leave it off? If you put them on they will make a tapping noise if just a bit loose.

    Curious thing about those nuts is they can be snug but increase tire pressure a bit and they can suddenly be loose. (higher air pressure in the tire causes a tiny bit more of the stem to push through the valve stem hole.) Sitting on the bike raises the pressure just enough to cause the nut to no longer be snug. The nut is then free to "rattle." On smooth pavement you'll hear it as a tapping sound. That tapping noise is the reason I stopped using them - more hassle than the small benefit they provide.

    Like I said, long shot but if you're using the threaded lock ring on your stems might be worth a look.
  • Nuggs
    Nuggs Posts: 1,804
    Have you fitted any spokey dokies?
  • Holty74
    Holty74 Posts: 50
    Nuggs wrote:
    Have you fitted any spokey dokies?

    :lol: no i couldnt find any so i just stuck a calypso drink carton between the back wheel and forks so it sounds like a motorbike

    thanks for the ideas, i'm going to have a look and then take it to a shop. I hope the bearings havent gone, the hubs are sealed
  • psychle
    psychle Posts: 83
    I used to get this a lot. I spent ages trying to trace it, adjusting front mech, stripping BB and pedals, inspecting chainring teeth, cleaning and lubing chain etc, when I eventually found the culprit I could have cried... it was the plastic tip of my shoelaces hitting the cranks on each downstroke :oops:

    "Like a pig towing a cart-load of sausages - I draw my own conclusions"
  • simon johnson
    simon johnson Posts: 1,064
    Crank arm hitting front-mech?
    Where\'s me jumper?
  • Holty74
    Holty74 Posts: 50
    ok so i took the bike to my LBS; after much sucking of teeth he said he'd strip out the chainset etc etc .. so i come back and he says that the bearings were loose, this was wrong etc etc..

    I ride it around the carpark and the F**king noise is still there :evil: so i tell him.

    he tells me its in my mind. i suggest he rides the bike round the carpark. he does and admits he can hear it.

    after a suggestion from a post on here i get a bit of sellotape and stick it round the valve extender on the back wheel.. noise stops :shock: :shock: :roll:

    we both looked very sheepish after that

    thanks for the advice!!!

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